As you know, the Career and Technical Education System (CATS), serves as the official record of a school entity’s approved career and technical education program and is used to verify the data which forms the basis for the Secondary Career and Technical Education Subsidy calculation. As the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) reviews the information submitted in CATS, there are noticeable inconsistencies between the information in CATS and the information found in the Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS).

Over-reporting students – One example/possible scenario:

In some instances, schools hold approval to operate a two-year program or programs, but are delivering programs to three grade levels and are seeking the Secondary Career and Technical Education Subsidy for each of those grade levels. If, for example, schools are actually operating a three-year program when the school only holds approval to operate a two-year program, the school must either seek approval for a three-year program or change its delivery practices.  This holds true for all delivery models: one-year, two-year, three-year and four-year. Simply stated, the information in CATS must reflect the actual delivery at the school level. 

Under-reporting students – One example/possible scenario:

In some instances, schools who hold approval to operate a four-year program are delivering the program to only three grade levels. Again, this holds true for all delivery models: one-year, two-year, three-year and four-year. The information in CATS must reflect the actual delivery at the school level. 

Please review the information submitted into the CATS system and, based on your review, make any revision or seek new program approvals, as appropriate. For funding purposes, ensure that the number of years noted in the CATS system is equal to the number of years the program is being delivered at the school. 

Please direct any questions about the above information to Lee Burket, PDE’s bureau director for Career and Technical Education, at lburket@pa.gov or 717-787-5530.